Adjustable garment hanger



Dec. 25, 1962 J M. ZUCKERMAN ADJUSTABLE GARMENT HANGER Filed July 13, 1961 JACK M- 'ZUCKERMAN A'i'TORNEY United States Patent Ofifice 3,070,269 Patented Dec. 25, 1962 3,070,269 ADJUSTABLE GrrRMENT HANGER .laca M. Zuckernran, Eimhurst, N.Y., assignor to Yankee Plastics, Inc, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed July 13, 1961, Ser. No. 123,689 3 Claims. (Cl. 223-8) This invention relates to garment hangers and in particular to a garment hanger having a novel arrangement of structure that will adjustably support trousers, skirts and other waisted garments of different sizes.

An object of the invention is to provide an efficient yet inexpensive garment hanger by which waisted garments may be supported in suspension from beneath the shoulder support of the hanger.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment hanger on which adjustable garment support members are guidingly movable along spaced transverse portions thereof in mirror-hand arrangement to enable the suspended support of waisted garments therefrom.

Still another object of the invention resides in the details of construction that facilitate the positive positioning and engagement of the adjustable support members along tracks of the garment hanger without fear of abrasion to the hands or body of the user or deleterious tearing or catching of the garment articles supported therefrom.

Other and further objects of this invention reside in the structure and arrangements hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a garment hanger constructed according to the teaching of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a side view of the garment hanger of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of lines 22,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial cross section of FIG. 2 taken along lines 3-3,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial cross section of the communicating passageway and tracks of the garment hanger,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial cross section of FIG. 1 taken along lines 55, and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective View of one of the adjustment members.

Referring to the drawing, the garment hanger theresbown is generally identified by the numeral 10. It comprises a body 12, the upper portion of which is laterally flanged as at 14 to provide two oppositely extending transversely directed shoulder support portions 16 and 13 positioned on opposite sides of a central part 2% of the body. A hook member 22 is formed integral with the central portion 2t? of the body and projects upward therefrom to enable the support of the garment hanger i from any rod or other convenient support.

The body 12 depends vertically down from the flanged shoulder portions 16 and 18. The lowermost portion of the body 12 is provided with a plurality of track structures one each on opposite lateral sides thereof. For purposes of explanation, the garment hanger lit is illustrated in FIG. 1 with a center line 24. The opposite transverse portions of the garment hanger it are substantially symmetrical about the center line 24. To the right of the center line 24, the hanger is provided with one set of tracks. in like manner, the left side of the hanger is provided with a set of tracks. Each set of tracks comprises two track parts, one each on lateral opposite sides of the body 12 as seen in FIG. 5. The track parts on the right hand side of hanger it) are generally identified by the numeral 26 while the track parts on the left hand side are generally identified by the numeral 28.

The two track parts 26 on lateral opposite sides of the body 12 of the right hand set of tracks each includes an upper track member 34) and a lower track member 32 that extend transversely from the center line 24 toward the right to the end of the body 12 and define a track therebetween. The two track parts 28 on lateral opposite sides of the body 12, extend to the left from the center line 24 for substantially the full transverse extent thereof. The tracks of the laterally spaced two track parts 28 are defined by an upper track member 30a and a lower track member 32a. 'It will be noted that the laterally extending flange 14 defining the border of the shoulder portions 16 and 18 curves down and merges at its lower portion with the two sets of lower track members 32 and 3251 at the right and left hand ends of the hanger it) to close the ends of their respective tracks.

It is to be noted further that the upper track members 30 and 39a of the track parts 26 and 28 merge and become integral with each other to form the uppermost limit of the defined tracks whereas the lower track members 32 and 32a are spaced from each other in the area of the center of and by the body 12 to define a passageway 34 that is in constant communication with the tracks to the right and left of the center line 24. The track members of the track parts 26 and 28 extend laterally outward from the body 12 to define the open faced tracks therebetween. The body 12 terminates at its bottom in the lower track members 32 and 3211, the lowermost surfaces of which define the bottom of the garment hanger 10.

Provided on the bottom of the body 12 or on each of the lower track members 32 and 32a respectively is a plurality of laterally directed but transversely spaced engaging means 36. The engaging means as are shaped in the form of projections that extend laterally from one side of the body 12 to the opposite side thereof across the lateral extent of the bottom surfaces of the lower track members 32 and 32a. Each engaging means 36 is relatively spaced from the other by a laterally directed transversely extending base surface 33 that is recessed upward from the bottom of the body 12. The engaging means 36 thus project down from their adjacent base surfaces 38 toward the bottom of the body 12 but do not extend therebeyond. Thus, they are formed within the confines of the bottom of the body 12 or of the lower track members 32 and 32a. The lowermost portion of the engaging means projections 36 are smoothly curved as at 49 and do not extend below the bottom of the garment hanger. Hence, they do not come into contact with any portion of the users hand or body and in consequence will not abrade or tear the skin. For like reason, the engaging means 36 also will not catch or tear clothing that is later to be suspended therebeneath in a manner to be described.

A pair of adjustable members generally identified by the numeral 42 are adapted to be movably mounted in mirror-hand arrangement in the two sets of tracks, one on the right and the other on the left hand sides of the garment hanger 10. The adjustment member 42 comprises a waist support member 44 that can be conveniently molded of any resinous material wherein its interior is of hollow form. The member 44- has a widened surface that includes a plurality of vertically arranged laterally disposed engaging teeth 46. The body 44 narrows at its top into a pair of laterally spaced vertically disposed guide arms 48 and 50 that are connected together at their uppermost ends by a laterally directed engagement surface 52. Each guide arm 48 and St) is provided with a round pin-shaped traveler element 54 and 56 respectively that is directed laterally inward from the inner surface of the arm and is adapted to ride in the track of each one of a respective track part.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 4, it will be noted that the adjustment members 42 may be inserted into and removed from the tracks of the garment hanger it This is done by positioning the oppositely disposed pin-like traveler means 54 and 56 in vertical alignment with a respective one of the two laterally aligned passageways 34 formed by the discontinuous lower track member 32, 32a on the opposite sides of the body 12. Thereafter, the body member i t is moved upward into and through the passageway 34, and then into the tracks on the right hand side of the center line 24 if the adjustment member i2. is positioned in the manner as shown in FIG. 1. If it is positioned in the manner as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, it is moved to the left hand side of the center line 24.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 4, it is to be noted that the lower track members 32 and 32a, on both lateral sides of the body 12, are provided with protrusions and 55a respectively that serve to narrow or reduce the size of the communication between the passageway 3-! and the tracks extending transversely to the right and left therefrom. Thus, a slight manual force is required to move the adjustment member 42 from the passageway 34 into the communicating track and to cause the traveler means 54 and 56 thereon to pass over or beyond the limiting protrusions 53 and 53a. These protrusions serve to narrow or restrict communication between the passageway and tracks to prevent accidental displacement of the adjustable members 42 from their respective tracks.

It will be recognized that the upward or vertically extending guide arms 43 and 5t; assume a position of overlying surface guiding engagement with the outer lateral ends or edges of the upper and lower track members on res ective opposite sides of the body 12. Consequently, if the adjustable member 42 is positioned on the one set of tracks to the left of the center line 24, its guide arm 48 will be guidingly engaged with the outer surfaces of the upper and lower track members 3% and 32a of the one track part while the guide arm Sil will be similarly engaged with the lateral edges of the upper and lover track members 30a and 32a of the track part (not shown) on the far side of the garment hanger 10. i'he traveler elements 54 and 56 will thus move smoothly within their respective tracks. The same type of arrangement is also true of the adjustable member guided for movement in the tracks in the two laterally opposed track parts that comprise the right hand set of tracks.

The inner surfaces of the guide arms 48 and 50 consequently serve to guide the movements of the adjustable member 42 along the transverse extent of their respec tive sides of the garment hanger It The traveler means 54 and 56 perform a further guiding function within their respective tracks. When it is desired to support a skirt, trouser or other waisted garment from the garment hanger 10, the adjustable members 42 are moved predeterminately toward and away from each other in mirror arrangement to the desired waist side. The waist of the garment is positioned about the engaging teeth 46 of each of the members 42 and thus cause the members 42 to tilt downward assuming the slanted or inclined hanger position as shown in FlG. 1 wherein the bodies thereof and their engaging teeth 46 slope increasingly away from a vertical plane.

The weight of the garment against the body 44 and teeth 46 forces the engagement surface 52 to seat against the corner defined between the base surface 38 and the adjacent protruding engaging means 36. When the adjustable members 42 are positively located in position along the bottom of the garment hanger 10, the weight of the garment thereon pulls down the opposite laterally disposed traveler means 54 and 56 of each adjustment member 42 into tight frictional or tension engagement with the upper interior surface of its respective lower track member 32 or 32a as depicted in PEG. 3.

The rounded surfaces of the laterally extending engaging means 36 facilitate simple sliding readjustment of the engagement surface 52 of the members 42 thereover into selective engagement with other desired engaging means. However, such rounded configurations, dependall (i ii ing no lower than the bottom of the body 12, present no hazard to the garment or to the user and, therefore, no fear of catching or tearing the garment or irrltatingly abrading the slain.

It will be noted that each guide arm 43 and it has a sloping safety sur see all and 62 respectively that merges smoothly with the body 44-. When the body 5 of the adjustment member is in its active position wherein it slopes down as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 so that its aging surface 525 is in engaging cooperation with the g in; means 36, the safety surfaces 61' and 62 present an obtuse angle with respect to the body. The obtuse angular position of the surfaces 66 and 62 present a widened obstruction that prevents the waist of the garment supported across the two spaced adjustment members pos -ioned in mirror-hand arrangement, from accidentaliy riding upward into engagement with the engag 36 in fact, it has been found in practice that means these surfaces present a guard against the possible catchit 1 and t arm-g of garments between the engaging means e a and 52.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fun 1 f the invention as applied to preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various emissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention. it is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

1 claim:

1. a garment hanger, the combination of a transversely extending shoulder support having a vertically depending body, a laterally directed open-faced track on laterally opposite sides of the lowermost portion of said body and includin upper and lower vertically spaced track members along the transverse extent of said shoulder support, said lower track members each having a plurality of laterally directed engaging means spaced transversely along the lower surfaces thereof, a pair of transversely spaced adjustable garment supports in mirrorhand relation with each other, said supports each having laterally spaced vertically disposed guide arms accommodating said tracks on lateral opposite sides of said body and overlying the open faces thereof for guided moving engagement therealong, traveler means on each of said arms extending laterally toward said body and guidingly movable between respective ones of said vertically spaced upper and lower track members, a laterally directed surface on each of said garment supports con nccting said arms together at one end thereof and engageable with selective ones of said spaced engaging means when a garment is positioned on said garment support to wedge said lower track members between their respective traveler means and said laterally directed surface, said lower track members being interrupted substantially centrally of their lengths to define laterally aligned passageways therebetween and communicating with said tracks to receive said traveler means therein and enable the same to be inserted into and removed from said tracks.

2. In a garment hanger, the combination of a body having a transversely extending shoulder support, two sets of transversely extending tracks on said body, each of said sets of tracks including a pair of track parts one each on opposite lateral sides of said body, said truck parts each having track defining laterally extending upper and lower track members. said track parts on the same lateral side of said body having their respective upper track members integral and the tracks thereof contiguous, a pair of adjustable members one each for movement along a respective one of said sets of tracks, guide arms on said adjustable members to guidingly cooperate with the laterally extending ends of said upper and lower track members of their respective sets of tracks, a plurality of late-rally directed engaging means transversely spaced along the bottom of said body, a laterally directed surface connecting said arms and selectively engageable with said engaging means, passageways defined between the lower track members of each of said track parts on the same lateral side of said body and communicating with the tracks of said track parts, traveler means on each of said arms directed laterally inward and guidingly movable through said passageways to said tracks, and means on said hanger restricting the size of said communication between said passageways and tracks to prevent accidental displacement of said traveler means from said tracks but to enable the movement of said traveler means therebetween by the application of manual force.

3. In a garment hanger as in claim 2, said engaging means being relatively spaced from each other by base 6 surfaces of greater transverse extent than that of said laterally directed surface and projecting down from said base surfaces toward the bottom of said body, said engaging means being smoothly curved at the lowermost portion of their projections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,445,851 Guthrie July 27, 1948 2,543,234 Draimin Feb. 27, 1951 2,805,011 Ambrosino Sept. 3, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 996,275 France Aug. 29, 1951 162,388 Sweden Mar. 4, 1958 

